n following fell in a
single cascade 400 feet; on the other, a second stream, issuing from
some unseen defile, flung its several ribbons of foam from nearly an
equal height. The valley, or rather gorge, disappeared in front between
mountains of sheer rock, which rose to the height of 3000 feet. The
road--a splendid specimen of engineering--was doubled back and forth
around the edge of a spur projecting from the wall on which we stood,
and so descended to the bottom. Once below, our carrioles rolled rapidly
down the gorge, which was already dusky with twilight. The stream, of
the most exquisite translucent azure-green colour, rolled between us;
and the mountain crests towered so far above, that our necks ached as we
looked upwards. I have seen but one valley which in depth and sublimity
can equal the Naerodal--the pass of the Taurus, in Asia Minor, leading
from Cappadocia into Cilicia. In many places the precipices were 2000
feet in perpendicular height; and the streams of the upper fjeld,
falling from the summits, lost themselves in evanescent water-dust
before they reached the bottom. The bed of the valley was heaped with
fragments of rock; which are loosed from above with every returning
spring.

It was quite dark before we reached Gudvangen, thoroughly tired and as
hungry as wolves. My postillion, on hearing me complain, pulled a piece
of dry mutton out of his pocket and gave it to me. He was very anxious
to learn whether brandy and tobacco were as dear in America as in
Norway; if so, he did not wish to emigrate. A stout girl had charge of
Braisted's horse; the female postillions always fell to his lot. She
complained of hard work and poor pay, and would emigrate if she had the
money. At Gudvangen we had a boat journey of thirty-five miles before
us, and therefore engaged two boats with eight oarsmen for the morrow.
The people tried hard to make us take more, but we had more than the
number actually required by law, and, as it turned out, quite as many as
were necessary. Travellers generally supply themselves with brandy for
the use of their boatmen, from an idea that they will be stubborn and
dilatory without it. We did so in no single instance; yet our men were
always steady and cheerful.

We shipped our carrioles and sent them off in the larger boat, delaying
our own departure until we had fortified ourselves with a good
breakfast, and laid in some hard bread and pork omelette, for the day.
The Gudvangen Fjord,